Albus Potter and the Revelations
by DarkLordSupporter
Summary: Albus Potter's fourth year at Hogwarts throws up some unexpected adventures and an unusual year in general! Suspicions grow and Albus and co. continue to find mortal danger. A lot will be revealed... Things they want to know desperately and things they'd rather not find out as well as everything in between (no.4 in series, sequel to Albus Potter and the Influence of the Dark Side)
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: The characters and worlds upon which this story is based belong to JK Rowling and all relevant copyright holders**

**A/N: We set off for Albus' fourth year at Hogwarts and the tale begins to twist and turn. I hope you enjoy the journey **

**1:Prologue**

The small room was illuminated by the glow of the moonlight passing through the small window. It illuminated the shadows of seventeen robed men sitting around a long, narrow table. One of the figures appeared to be rather animated. He sat at the head of the table and everyone listened as he spoke. "The debate is over" he said loudly. His voice was deep and clear, assertive. "Remind me of the facts once more Mr White"

"Yes Mr Red. Parker was killed, the Killing Curse. The Aurors arrived and he fled. Kealy witnessed everything and he escaped. He has since been arrested and released with a court date early in the new year."

"Thank you White" the man named Red said. "Pink," he said, addressing another of the men, "get the ballot paper. It is time to vote everybody" A man, presumably pink, withdrew his wand and tapped the table twice in quick succession. In front of each of the men appeared a piece of paper.

"Vote yes for him to remain, no for him to be removed" Red said again. Each of the men withdrew their wands and tapped their paper. A few seconds later, the sheet of paper folded itself in half and then in half once again. "Orange, Yellow," Red said nonchalantly, "you know what to do". Both of the men, Orange and Yellow tapped the table in unison. The pieces of paper all moved towards the centre of the table slowly. The silence was deafening. The squares of parchment stopped in the centre of the table. They formed a pile in the middle of the table. The two men named Orange and Yellow tapped the table once more. Nothing happened for a moment or two and then the pieces of parchment burst in the flames. There was little to no smoke from what was clearly a magical fire.

The sounds of lungs being emptied and filled once more was the only sound that filled the rooms as the paper continued to burn. It took a few minutes for the magical fire to eventually burn out but when it did, the ashes left were arranged in very peculiar way. Each of the men peered towards the centre of the table. The ashes that remained spelled out the word 'YES'.

"Well there, we have our answer" Red said. "That is the meeting for tonight unless any of you have a burning desire to discuss some matters" Nobody spoke for a few seconds and Red looked ready to leave until White spoke.

"Now that Parker has been killed, I would like to know what my role is"

"Well that's a very interesting question. It is correct that you are the only member of the Senior Council that does not currently have an active role in our plan. You will work closely with me. Your experience will be vital and for the early days, I want to know absolutely everything that Parker told you and everything you know about his actions since our meeting of August last year. You will prepare a report to be read at this year's August meeting and you will then be assigned a more long term task." Red replied

"Thank you" White said. "That is all I have for tonight"

"Can we go home now or does anybody else have any queries?" Red asked. The group was silent once more. Red nodded his head, "very well" He tapped his wand of the desk. It sounded like gable as it made contact with the table. Seconds later the room was filled with the scraping of chairs on the floor and then the room was filled with several loud cracks and pops as the men disapparated. Only White and Red remained. Red nodded in White's direction, turned on his heel and dispparated.

"Red" White called but it was too late. Red was gone and White was left with only a loud crack and his own thoughts. He wasted no time and he himself then disapparated.

The meeting had finished but the lateness of the hour didn't bother Kingsley Shacklebolt as there was a crack from outside the door. The newly retired Minister of Magic pushed open the door to reveal the empty room. He scouted around it, looking for any trace that there had been people here. The black pile in the middle of the table caught his attention. He walked over and looked at the ashes. "Yes" he muttered tracing a finger in the air above the letters. "Yes" he muttered once more. He looked at it once more before quickly disapparating.

Kingsley Shacklebolt landed on a cobbled walkway and his feet hit the ground in mid stride. His blue and purple robes billowed as he tread the air. His stride was long and purposeful and he soon arrived at his destination. The house was narrow but towered high above Shacklebolt. He entered through the old, weather worn wooden door and into the narrow, dark but immaculately kept hallway. Two people could walk abreast in the hallway an no more. Kingsley Shacklebolt had no intention of allowing anyone to walk beside him as he strode down the centre and through the last door at the end of the hallway. There was a group sitting around a small round table. There was one free chair and Kingsley sat on it. "Yes" Kingsley said and then moved on. Nobody asked any questions so they must have understood Kingsley's cryptic answer.

"Why haven't we included Potter yet?" asked one of the figures. It was a female voice and it wasn't pleading but sternly, almost stubbornly asking a question.

"Potter," Kingsley replied, " is the Head Auror. He is closely monitored, most likely a lot more than when I was Minister and it is too early to get involved for Potter. We need him yes, but if he is no longer Head Auror then we won't have the accessibility to men and leads we have if he is in his current position" Kingsley argued and the group seemed to see his point.

"The sooner Potter is on board the better. It is his son that has been involved in everything in recent years. Albus is just like his father; he might not all go looking for trouble but trouble usually finds him" the female voice said again.

"Speaking of Albus," another voice said, "I think he should be involved with us. He knows more than any of us"

There was a knocking at the front door. It sounded all through the house. The room fell silent. The knock on the door turned to a loud rap, like a stick pounding the door three or four times. Kingsley whispered. "Get out of here, I'll talk to them. Go, all of you" The gathering all disaparated quickly, leaving Kingsley Shacklenolt alone. He exited the room and walked through the hallway once more and opened the door.

"Ah," he said as the door swung open, "were you trying to take the door of its hinges?" he asked.

"No but I thought that your hearing was deteriorating in your advanced years" Harry Potter said.

"What can I do for you?" Kingsley asked, inviting Harry inside.

"Just answer a quick question. I don't intend to stay. I just want to know when you were Minister, how much leeway did I really have in running the Auror department? Are all my moves watched closely? Scrutinised?" Harry asked.

"When I appointed you as Head Auror, I gave you a lot more leeway than your predecessor. I trusted you and knew you would do an excellent job. With the new Minister, you probably are being closely watched because I know she intended to evaluate everyone, you included. I would think that you are being watched closely, they perhaps know that you're here tonight. She is very analytic so your department stats will be evaluated, I am sure, and you will most likely be judged from them"

"Okay, well thanks Kingsley. I just wanted to know" Harry replied.

"Understandable. Goodnight" Kingsley said, his deep voice echoing into the dark night.

"Goodnight" Harry said, moments before he turned on his heel and disapparated from that spot.

* * *

**A/N: Until further notice, I will post a new chapter every Saturday.**


	2. A Higher Power

**Disclaimer: This story is based upon the story and worlds belonging to and created by JK Rowling**

**2: A Higher Power**

"Happy birthday dad!" Albus greeted his father as he entered the room.

"Happy birthday Mr Potter" Scorpius said from a couch opposite Albus.

"They're all in the kitchen" Albus added.

"Hi" Harry said. "Come on so, I don't even want to know what's going on in the kitchen." Albus rolled over the edge of the armchair, landing on his feet while Scorpius pulled himself out of the chair. The boys both followed Harry through the narrow hallway and into the kitchen. Harry's arrival was met with a large cheer from the crowd in the kitchen. Housed in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place were Ginny, Lily and James, Ron, Hermione, Rose and Hugo as well as George, Fred, Molly and Arthur Weasley. Albus and Scorpius entered behind him.

The festivities continued for the evening and it was near two in the morning when Ron and George finally left. Hermione had gone earlier, she was working early the following morning. Rose and Hugo were staying in Grimmauld Place that night. Fred had fallen asleep on the couch and George had unceremoniously woken his son on his way out. Ginny looked over the house once, sighed and murmured "I'll clean that in the morning". She made her way towards the stairs and called a "goodnight" through yawns as she climbed towards her bedroom. James, like Fred, had also fallen asleep on a chair and Albus suspected they had nabbed some fire whiskey and had drank far more of it than they were able for. Scorpius consumed firewhiskey (unintentionally, James and Fred slipped it into his drink) and Albus had brought him up the stairs and dropped him onto his bed. Albus decided that he would make room for himself when he eventually went to bed.

Lily and Rose had gone to bed and Hugo was trying, fairly unsuccessfully, to stay awake beside Albus on the couch. "Dad" Albus said as his father entered the room.

"I think it's time for bed" Harry laughed, looking at both Hugo and James asleep.

"I want to ask you something first" Albus responded. Harry, who was heading for the door, stopped and turned to face his son. Without waiting for a reply, Albus asked his question. "What was it that you didn't want to tell me in a letter?" Harry stared blankly at his son for a few moments before turning to face him completely and walking over to him, sitting beside Albus. The house was eerily quietly. The silence was broken only by the noise of James' snoring.

"I don't think now is the time, it's too late" Harry responded.

"No dad, I want to know now. If it was important then it can't really wait, can it?" Albus asked, knowing that he had just dug a hole that his father had jumped into. Harry smiled.

"Very well" he replied to his son, knowing that Albus wouldn't let it drop. "Michael Parker as you know is now dead. He spent the last year of his life doing various things. He was in Albania, why we're not sure yet. He hired a private eye, a jack of all trades. This goblin went by the name of Grogue. He used to work in Gringotts but retired. Since then, he's a free lancer, working off the books and undercover for the highest bidder. Parker hired him. We believe that Lucius Malfoy paid a large sum of what the goblin was owed"

"What did he hire him for?" Albus asked.

"Ultimately," Harry said, "his job was to get you and Scorpius and anyone who stood in the way was to be executed. To do this, Parker had the goblin place a certain professor under the Imperius curse"

"Fulton" Albus said quietly, realisation dawning on his face.

"Indeed. Professor Irene Fulton had been placed under the Imperius Curse. It was being done at a long distance though so Fulton began to fight it. She was under the curse at times, completely free of it and then half way between the two. She appeared to be moody and incompetent. As you told me, she appeared to have a vendetta against you. She was being ordered to find out everything she possibly could about you and get you alone if it was possible. Parker wanted you, he wanted to kill you."

"Because you arrested his father" Albus said.

"That is part of it. It has been cited as an excuse" Harry said. "Parker was a nutjob,there's no other word. He had a personal vengeance against me because I arrested his father but also against you because you figured out his plan and spoiled it in your first year. He was blinded by rage and his plan seemed fool proof, he wanted to become the leader of a revolution against the Ministry. He had supporters too but nobody wanted to kill and young boy because of Parker's blind rage." Harry explained.

"Is that it?" Albus asked.

"No" Harry replied quickly. "When the Enforcer bloke surfaced, he began to draw many of Parker's followers. He had a similar goal and he offered more protection and a much more direct approach. His plan changed a bit and it turned towards yourself and Scorpius. The followers were now unsure. They were stuck between the two. Both wanted the same thing, a revolution and a Potter. Parker wanted you dead, the Enforcer wanted your skills. Away from what you know," Harry said, "I grew skeptical about the Enforcer. I've done some research and in my opinion, I think that the Enforcer has a higher power backing him. I've no way to prove it but it's just my suspicion"

"What do you mean?" Albus asked.

"The Enforcer's plan is too well rounded. I don't think it could possibly be a lone nut acting alone. I think that he's just a puppet, being worked by much more skilled and much more intelligent people"

"Do you think he's under the Imperius curse too?" Albus asked.

"No," Harry replied, "I don't think he is. I think that he just doesn't realise that he's a puppet yet. He probably thinks he's important but if it's as I suspect, he will be disposed of once he achieves his goals."

Albus sat unsure what to say. He was merely trying to take everything in but even that he found difficult. Albus and Harry continued to sit in silence. The silence was broken once more by James snoring.

"Good night dad" Albus said.

"Good night Al" Harry replied as he watched his son get up and exit the room. "Let's just hope I'm wrong and it doesn't come true" Harry murmured to himself. Albus walked up to his bedroom, his head still drowning in thoughts about what his father had just revealed to him. Parker, Fulton under the Imperius curse, the Enforcer potentially having a higher power working behind him...

* * *

**A/N: I'm well aware that the first two chapters are quite short but they will get longer as the story goes on. I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Let me know if you are, let me know if you aren't!**


	3. The New Headmaster

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Harry Potter series. **

**3: The New Headmaster**

Albus was awoken by Scorpius' arm being draped across his face. Albus pushed Scorpius' arm away and got of the bed. Upon opening the curtains, Scorpius cried for them to be closed. "No," Albus replied, "get up you lazy sod". Scorpius moaned but Albus got him out of bed after pulling away the blankets. "Come on" Albus said again. "Luke's probably waiting for us already. You know them Irish and they're inability to stick to agreed times. They're either early or late but never bang on time." Scorpius moaned once more as he rolled out of the bed.

After getting dressed the boys went downstairs and had breakfast. Harry was already gone to work, James was slowly and tiredly eating his breakfast and Lily was very much as Lily always was; smiling, happy and ready to go before her brothers. "Why do you guys always have to take so long?" Lily asked. "Boys take so long to get ready" she added.

"Maybe it's because we were sleeping for the most of the time you spent getting ready!" Albus replied.

"Because a certain uncle thinks it's okay to give me firewhiskey!" James said drowsily. He was rubbing his still sore head as he spooned cereal into his mouth.

"I know how you feel" said Scorpius to James, who was sitting at the table with his head in his hands. Ginny flicked her wand here and there, hardly paying attention and the cereal, the milk, two bowls and two spoons were now in front of Albus and Scorpius.

"We're going in twenty minutes" warned Ginny. "Be ready or we're gone without you and Luke won't be too happy that he's come all the way from Ireland and you pair don't even show up." Albus and Scorpius soon picked up the pace and finished their breakfast. The boys returned up stairs once more, grabbing everything they needed for their trip to Diagon Alley.

"I've already got my books, why are you leaving it so late?" Scorpius asked.

"Scorpius," Albus said as they walked downstairs, "it's the first of August. Another thirty days or that would be leaving it late" Albus said with a smile. Scorpius rolled his eyes. "What is so late about August? The very first day of it?" Albus asked.

"We got out letters how long ago?" Scorpius asked rhetorically. Not expecting an answer, he continued to speak "I just like to be prepared is all and my mother was going to Diagon Alley the day we got our letter"

"Scorpius," Albus interrupted him, "we got out letters about two weeks ago... oh and I got this" Albus said with a smirk as he flashed the Quidditch captain's badge that he had held but shared the previous year. He was now the sole Quidditch captain for Slytherin house. Albus and Scorpius were startled by Ginny as she entered the living room.

"Get the fire going" she said to Albus as she called for James to hurry up and to Lily that they were leaving. Albus did as his mother asked and soon, there was a fire in the grate, enough of one to Apparate from. Lily was standing beside her mother and James was talking to his younger brother and Scorpius, whom James didn't used to like but his views had changed and now he knew the youngest Malfoy better, he realises he wasn't anything like his father had been to Harry when they were in school.

Ginny watched as the children entered the fire one by one and soon followed them into the grate, being engulfed by green flames and disappearing into the Floo network only to reappear in the Leaky Cauldron across town. James, Albus, Lily and Scorpius had left the pub and moved to the entrance to Diagon Alley. Ginny joined them and tapped the requisite bricks in order,opening the stone archway to the cobbled street of the wizarding alley. The streets were milled with witches and wizards and Ginny led the young charges to the agreed meeting point. As expected, Luke, Paddy and their mother were waiting outside Gringotts bank. Ginny greeted them with an apology for being late. Albus looked at Luke and laughed. When he first met the young Irish boy, he was small, much smaller than average and now he was taller than Albus. Not by much, but taller nonetheless. Albus looked at Luke.

"Hey mate" Albus said happily, smiling at Luke. Luke smiled back.

"Hey" said Luke to both Albus and Scorpius.

"Lukey!" Scorpius said, smiling at the Irish boy. "Haven't seen ya in a while"

"Maybe you guys should come visit me sometime!" Luke replied, "I shouldn't always have to come over here"

"I came to you last summer, it's your turn this time" Albus rebutted.

"Come on, we've got to get all your stuff. You lot can mess about later on" Ginny said. The three boys followed the two women and Lily and James had to be called again. Ginny told him he could meet his friends as soon as he got new robes because his old ones were far too short and tattered. And so, Madam Malkin's was their first stop. Scorpius sat on a stool watching as employees poked pins into Albus, Luke, James and Paddy. Scorpius smirked each time one of them would make a facial expression showing discomfort at being turned, pinned and quizzed as the shop workers did their job.

It took a while for each of the boys to be fitted for their respective robes and when the money had been exchanged for the Hogwarts' uniforms, James looked once to his mother before taking off. Albus and Luke each look to their mother and a small nod indicated that the boys were no longer needed.

"Get your quills and inks and whatever other things you need and I'll get your books" Ginny said to her son as he took off with his friends. Lily and Paddy took off in another direction leaving Ginny and Mary alone with bags containing their son's robes. Lily had already got hers, having been to Diagon Alley with Ginny a couple of days prior buying a birthday present for Harry.

Albus, Luke and Scorpius were walking down the cobbled street. "Where to?" Scorpius asked. "I have everything so I'll leave it up to you two"

"I was here early this morning and got everything 'cept my robes and my books before you got here so whatever Albus has to get, I supppose" Luke added. The boys both turned to Albus, looking at him.

"Well I just have to get ink. I think my quills are grand. Oh, and I have to get some parchment too" Albus added. "Oh and some Potions stuff" he said once more."

"Come on, we'll get your ink and parchment first" Scorpius decided. The boys negotiated the crowd, weaving between witches and wizards, doing their best to stay together. The stationery shop was much less crowded. There were two or three people in the shop, but no major crowd. It was nice to get out of the hub of Diagon Alley's main street. Albus picked up a few bottles of ink and several rolls of parchment and placed them on the counter. He paid the shopkeeper who smiled happily and thanked Albus for his custom. Albus responded with a quiet "no problem" before taking the bag containing his ink and parchment. The trio next made their way to get Albus his potion ingredients.

"We're going for ice cream after this" Luke said. The sun had just emerged from behind the clouds and was now beating down onto the people of London. Between the heat from the sun, the movement and the quantity of people on the street, it was extremely warm and Luke was more than justified asking for a cool down. They slowly made their way along the main street and entered the cool air of the Apothecary. Albus picked up various, almost random ingredients as he walked around the shop, looking at each shelf. It took him about ten minutes and consultation with both Luke and Scorpius finally brought him to the counter. Albus paid for his purchases and the two boys exited, leaving Albus to catch up with them.

Albus jogged through the crowd catching up with his two friends. "Don't make me run in this heat" Albus pleaded as he panted and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I shouldn't have stayed up so late last night, I barely have the energy for this. Anyway," Albus continued, "ice cream?" His question was met with agreement from both Luke and Scorpius and the trio set out to the ice cream shop which still bore the name of Florean Fortescue although the Fortescue family no longer ran the business. The name had remained unchanged when the new owner took over, a midlander named Tilson. The story goes that Mr Tilson always enjoyed going to Fortescue's ice cream shop as a youngster and didn't change the name as a tribute to the former owner. The boys entered the shop and were greeted by the usual shop attendant. Tilson owned numerous shops around the country and he was rarely seen at his small Diagon Alley which provided more sentimental value for him than money in his pocket.

"What can I do for you today young sirs?" the shop attendant asked happily.

"Can I get a Fortescue sundae please" requested Luke.

"Same here" Scorpius added.

"Make it three please" Albus chimed in.

"I'll have those for you in a few minutes" the attendant said.

"Thanks Frank" the three boys said in unison as they stood waiting. It took only the few minutes Frank had promised and they were soon walking among the crowd of Diagon Alley once more but now carrying quite large cups containing ice cream and nuts among various other things. The silence was bliss as they ate and walked with no real destination in mind. With all their shopping done, the boys had time for leisure shopping. It was the Quidditch Supplies shop which the boys entered as soon as they had finished their ice cream. They perused through all the stock in the shop; from the newest brooms (the brand new series from the makers of the Nimbus, the NimbusPro family as well as the Nimbus LightningStrike) to the various teams jerseys. Despite the constant pestering of his uncle and the upturn in Cannons form in recent years, Albus did not support the bright orange of the Chudley side. Albus looked mainly at the jersey of his team; the Holyhead Harpies. Albus often attended games as Ginny found it easy to get tickets for matches involving her former team. Albus had been brought up at Holyhead games, living there for three years until Harry became Head Auror and was required to be in close proximity to the Ministry and so the Potter family moved to Grimmauld Place. Albus had a collection of Harpies jerseys at his home including the most recent so he was unsure why he continued to survey the kit of his favoured team.

The three spent almost half an hour looking at various products before finally realising the time and rushing back to the Leaky Cauldron to meet Ginny and Mary as well as Lily, Paddy and James. The boys still managed to return before James who was another half an hour after the trio. The day at Diagon Alley was finally over and Astoria Malfoy arrived to pick up her son. Luke was returning to Ireland for the month while Scorpius was going on a trip to various European countries in a couple of days and so the boys parted ways until the first day of September.

* * *

The month passed quickly. Albus was kept busy as he and James often joined many of their cousins as well as Teddy Lupin at the Burrow for a game of Quidditch. This often passed the whole day and by time the morning of September first came, Albus was very excited to get to King's Cross. Albus, James, Lily, Ginny and Harry arrived at the train station at half past ten. It was already crowded with Muggles and wizards alike. It almost became second nature to Albus, Lily and James as they slipped through the barrier between platforms nine and ten without anyone taking notice. Harry and Ginny soon followed them and it took only a few minutes before Albus, James and Lily were ready to set out and find their friends. James, as usual, hugged his parents goodbye before taking off down the platform towards the end of the train. Albus was pulled in by his mother.

"I can just never get used to this" Ginny said, trying to stop the flow of tears. After about a minute, Ginny released her son and was soon hugging her youngest child. Albus moved towards his father, who also hugged him tightly.

"Be vigilant this year Al" Harry whispered in his son's ear. "Be aware and try and stay out of trouble. The new Headmaster has requested added security to Hogwarts. I have a feeling he knows something we do not" Harry whispered once more, Albus pulled tightly into him as the pair hugged. "Have a good year... Or until Christmas when we see you again at least!" Harry said to his son, much louder this time. A few heads turned in Harry's direction and the usual ogle that followed the 'Boy Who Lived' Harry Potter was of course evident. Albus had somewhat gotten use to it and was well able to ignore the eyes that watched him, particularly when he was in his father's company.

Albus bid his parents goodbye once more. He pulled his trunk (which his father had made extremely light due to a feather light charm). With his trunk in one hand and Wiggy's owl cage in the other, Albus looked to be burdened with belongings but the lightweight nature of the trunk made things extremely easy. It was much more awkward than heavy. Albus weaved between the masses of people on the platform and boarded the train into the second carriage. Although the first carriage was reserved for Prefects, Albus had the authority to enter it because he was the Quidditch captain. He, however, opted to bypass it and walked the narrow, familiar corridors starting in the second carriage. It was ten minutes to eleven by the time Albus boarded the train and he faced the same predicament as he had for the previous few years. He had to try and find Luke and Scorpius not knowing whether or not they were already on the train. Albus knew Scorpius pretty well by now and guessed that the blonde haired boy would already be on the train and so he decided that he should look for him. If Luke were on the train, he would probably have found Scorpius by now or he would meet the Irish boy in the corridor.

Albus, was indeed right for he soon met Luke in the corridor and the pair quickly found Scorpius sitting in a compartment. It was almost as if he had been waiting for the two to show up. The train started to pull out of the station and Albus peered out the window, seeing his parents one last time before the train rounded the corner. This journey had become familiar to the boys and watching the fields pass by the window no longer brought the same awe and wonder that it did in their previous journeys. The three boys talked about their respective summers. Most of the questions were directed at Luke, firstly because they had hardly seen him during the summer and secondly because they learned he had been to both France and Germany during the summer. "I stayed in Freiburg in Germany which is near the France border. It was only a short journey on the train"

The train slowed and stuttered forward as it pulled into Hogsmeade Station. The three boys disembarked the train and they of course wondered where their female friends, Ashley and Emily, were. The girls usually paid a visit to them on the train but this year had been different. They had seen neither hide nor hair of the two girls and the only person who bothered Albus, Luke and Scorpius was the elderly lady who pushed the trolley through the train, selling sweets and various other food stuffs.

The platform at the Hogsmeade train station was almost overflowing with people. It was almost as if everyone had got off the train at the exact same time. Hagrid's face was illuminated by his large lantern at one end of the platform and his usual cries' of 'firs' years this way'. With most of the students heading in one direction, it was a battle for the young first years to try and make their way to the half giant Hagrid.

It took Albus, Luke and Scorpius about ten minutes to extricate themselves from the platform and ended with sharing a carriage with a mixture of, in Albus' opinion, second years. A Hufflepuff, two Ravenclaws and a Slytherin accompanied the three boys in the carriage on the journey to Hogwarts. Albus was thankful that it was dry this year as the previous year they had been soaked by a heavy rain falling when they arrived to Hogsmeade. The all wizarding village soon disappeared from sight and it was replaced by the stone pillars and the gates of Hogwarts.

"You're Albus Potter!" the young Slytherin said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I know who I am" Albus said in response.

"You're the Quidditch captain" he said, nodding at the badge on Albus' robes.

"I know that too" Albus replied.

"I'm Tony Manareno. I think I'm gonna try out for the team this year" the boy said.

"I hope you're a good Chaser, it's the only spot" Scorpius butted in.

"I'm okay I suppose" the boy said as the carriage pulled up. Albus, Luke and Scorpius hopped out first, closely followed by the young boys. They were greeted by the familiar site of the castle, the large oak doors open and students making their way through the open passage way. Albus sighed and smiled happily as he strode into the Entrance Hall of the castle. The throng of the crowd carried him into the Great Hall and he made for the Slytherin table. Luke, Scorpius and Albus were seated and, almost in unison, looked toward the staff table. The dais were clean, the table was decorated with plates, goblets and cutlery yet the chairs were empty.

"Where d'ya suppose the teachers are?" Luke asked but his question was answered almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth. The line of teachers, led by Professor Kelly emerged from the antechamber at the top of the Great Hall.

"There's your answer" replied Scorpius. The seats were all filled except two; one belonged to Professor Neville Longbottom who had the responsibility of meeting the new first years and escorting them to the Great Hall to be doors opened and Neville Longbottom led the line of first years through the gap between the tables and to the top of the hall. He stood on the dais and looked at the crowd. There were the usual whispers of 'look at the size of them!' and 'we weren't that small in first year!'. However, there was also whispers of 'where's the new headmaster?' and 'has a headmaster ever missed a sorting?'.

"Before we begin the sorting," Neville said, "I would like to introduce the new headmaster..." he paused, the door to the antechamber opened once more. "Charles Wincanton" The new headmaster strode purposefully to the middle chair of the staff table. He was tall with a bald head, a thin oval shaped face with a pointed chin. His lips formed a straight line across his mouth, he was neither smiling nor frowning. He wore robes of deep blue. He had a stern look about him. His jaw appeared to be clenched at all times and his eyes scanned the hall as he took his seat. There was no applause, there was ne'er a noise in the great hall and this tense silence was finally broken by Professor Longbottom who unrolled the long sheet of parchment he had been holding.

"Appleton, Adam" was the first name called by Professor Longbottom. A small, smaller than average, fair haired, light skinned boy walked slowly towards the stool and hat slowly. He sat down and the hat fell over his eyes and stopped only on the bridge of his nose. The silence had resumed once more and it was only a few moments later that young Appleton was sent to Slytherin. Albus looked down the table and saw the youngster with his head lying on the table, no longer watching his fellow first years being sorted. "Addler, Baker, Bettencourt, Caulfield" were all called and Albus was no longer paying attention. He was thinking once more about what his father had said to him a month earlier. An accidental nudge from Scorpius brought Albus back down to Earth and they were now at 'Whitt, Dalton'. There were only a handful of students left and three of them went to Slytherin. There was, in Albus' opinion as he looked down the table, a large group of first years in Slytherin house. The new headmaster remained seated once the Sorting ceremony had finished and it didn't take long for the tables to be filled with food.

The silence of the Great Hall had been broken by the excited, surprised gasps of the first years, the sighs of relief from the rest of the school and the quiet conversations of all the students be it the first years making friends or the seventh years catching up with their mates after a long summer. Albus ate roast beef and chicken, boiled, roast and mashed potatoes and various vegetables all covered in gravy. Luke across from him appeared to be eating some of everything and his food was piled high on his plate. This was followed by dessert and Albus had two eclairs and a (large) slice of treacle tart. With the entire school fed and watered, the students didn't need any coercion. The hall fell silent as soon as the food had vanished from the plates, sparkling in the candle light once more.

Wincanton slowly got out of his chair and made his way to the podium, where he stood with his hands grasping either edge. His eyes surveyed the Great Hall and each student sat with a sense of both anticipation and anxiousness. "I am the new Headmaster, as you all now know, Charles Wincanton." the new Headmaster's voice was deep and loud and showed little emotion. "Change has been rampant in the wizarding world recently. A new Minsiter, three new department heads, to give but a few examples" he continued, "and change is the word to begin this school year. To my knowledge, the curfew rules have been very lenient. A Caterwailing charm of sorts will be placed in the hallways, after ten o'clock for everybody except the Prefects and the four Quidditch captains, they will also act of Prefects of sorts, I will speak to them privately. By midnight, our evergreen caretaker Mr Filch," who wheezed from the back of the Hall with his newest cat (Mrs. Norris IV) in his arms, Filch eyed the hall with relish at the mention of his name, "and our staff will be the only people who may roam the halls. That brings me to my next change; a small Auror task force will guard the school boundaries, students have been at risk from outside forces far too much and extremely easily. This castle's natural defences can be breached and my request to the Auror ofaefice was happily met by the Head Auror." he continued, eyeing the hall as he spoke. No one dared moved, no one spoke. The silence seemed to be something that the new Headmaster relished. "Continuing with the theme of change, the class structure has been modified. You respective Heads of Houses will brief you at eight fifty in the common room in the morning as well as handing you your new timetables for the coming year. One thing that hasn't changed is the teaching staff, you will recognise the entire faculty from last year." Wincanton continued, his voice remaining in the same loud, deep tone.

"Away from academic changes, the Quidditch cup will take a different format this year. I will not go into detail now, rather explain it to the captains and allow them to brief you all on the new format. I am quite a Quidditch fan myself and so I hope you find as much enjoyment in the new format as I had devising it." the Professor smiled for the first time, his eyes glowing and Albus felt it was very similar to the portrait of Albus Dumbledore, the blue eyes sparkling at the students, smiling sincerely."As always, the usual notices also apply. The Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to all students. A full list, severely reduced I must say, of all banned WWW products are available on the door of Mr Filch's office. I believe I reduced it by some four or five hundred products." Another smile from the Headmaster, sincere and emotional, Albus was beginning to like the new Head of Hogwarts.

"That," he said to the silent hall, "is all for tonight. Go and rest yourselves, classes begin in the morning." He turned and walked back to the Headmaster's chair. Professor Longbottom clapped loudly and the rest of the staff followed suit. The students joined their teachers and the hall was soon applauding the new Headmaster. "Bed," he said with a smile, "now!" and the headmaster's smile broadened as he watched the students look left and look right, puzzled. The prefects began to get up and round up the first years, leading them to their new common rooms. Albus, Luke and Scorpius had seen both Emily and Ashley further down the table, near the doors. The boys didn't bother to go looking for their friends but rather, they joined the back of the line of first years and returned to the common room.

"Oi," Scorpius shouted to the prefect at the front of the line, "Smithy what's the password?"

"Malfoy!" the boy shouted back.

"Yeah, it's me. What's the password Jay?"

"Malfoy" the boy said again and this time, they were close enough to the door that the passage appeared from the wall and the boys entered. Scorpius turned away from the Prefect sheepishly as they entered the common room. The common room was packed, almost every student in the school milled about, going from place to place, up to the dormitories and coming from them as well. Albus spotted the Quidditch Cup, sitting atop the podium, surrounded by the glass case, gleaming in the artificial light of the common room. Behind the trophy, however, he saw Emily and Ashley sitting and talking. Albus smiled as he made to approach the two girls he hadn't seen since the end of the last school year.

"Oh Merlin," Albus muttered to himself, "I love being here!"


	4. Failings and Reprieves

**Disclaimer: I claim no ownership to the Harry Potter series or any of the characters all of which belong to JK Rowling and all other relevant copyright holders. **

**4: Failings and Reprieves**

Albus had been in the common room talking to Ashley and Emily for only a few minutes before he was summoned by Professor Kelly who said that he was wanted by the new Headmaster. Albus sighed, pulled himself out of his chair with difficulty (he had been in close proximity to the fire and it was in one of the more comfy chairs. Albus trudged out of the common room joining the head of his house as they walked the dungeon corridor, their footsteps echoing off through the cold stone hallway.

"What's this about?" Albus asked, "I was just getting comfy!" Albus added. Professor Kelly laughed.

"I can't say for sure," Professor Kelly replied as they ascended the staircases into the Entrance Hall, "but I'm going to guess it's got to do with the new Quidditch cup format as well as a few other things regarding just yourself. You seem to be having an eventful education; he asked me about you directly" The two rounded the corridor and made the long walk to the stone gargoyles that guarded the office of the Headmaster. Albus went up the spiral staircase and knocked on the doors. His knuckles hadn't touched the door the third time and it had swung open.

Two others already sat in the office, a boy and a girl. The Hufflepuff captain who Albus vaguely recognised but didn't know by name saw and beside the tall, muscled, short haired, firm jawed, hook nosed boy sat a girl that Albus definitely recognised. Allie Watson had been a member of Albus' football team for Muggle studies the previous year. Albus couldn't deny the girls beauty; she had long brown hair that fell about halfway down her back, big brown eyes that Albus had got lost in more than once when talking to her, a button nose and dimples that appeared every time she smiled. He beauty could be deceptive, on a Quidditch field she was ruthless. "Hey Albus" she said happily.

"Hi Allie" Albus replied as he took a seat beside her. Albus had just sat down when the door opened once more.

"Ah," said a voice behind the desk. Albus turned his head so fast he was almost sure he heard something snap. The new Headmaster was sitting was sitting behind his desk now and Albus was sure he had not been there a few seconds earlier. "Our last captain" he said, his voice much quieter but still as deep as it was in the Great Hall. James took a seat beside his brother and smirked at him. Albus looked at him confused. James had never mentioned that he was the Quidditch captain; Albus presumed it would have been Louis.

"I have called you here this evening to discuss the new format of this season's Quidditch cup" Professor Wincanton said and the captains remained silent. "I have always been a great fan of Quidditch and when I was appointed to my current position, I began thinking how to make my mark. Obviously, I've upped security and tightened other rules but the one that you are most worried about it the new Quidditch format. I considered a knock out competition but with four teams, there are too few. I have decided upon a round robin format. You will play each team twice, once before Christmas and once before Easter. The final standings will determine the semi finals with the first placed team playing the fourth placed team and the remaining two also facing each other. The winners of those games will compete for the coveted cup which, if I recall from my trip about the castle, resides in the Slytherin common room." Albus smiled at this. Professor Wincanton looked over the four captains. "Any questions?" he asked. There was silence. Albus looked either side of him.

"Yes professor," James said, "when does the Cup now begin and what order will the games be played?"

"The first round of games will be played on the first weekend of October. Hufflepuff will face Ravenclaw and Slytherin will begin bid for three in a row against your team, Mr Potter" the Headmaster replied. "Any other questions?" he asked. The office fell silent again. "None?" he asked clearly indicating that it was the last chance. "Very well, you are dismissed" The noise of chairs scratching the floor filled the room and the four captains exited. The Hufflepuff captain left first, followed next Allie Watson who both Albus and James watched as she left. The two brothers were left at the base of the spiral staircase, alone.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were captain?" Albus asked his brother. There was no response. "James," Albus said, "are you even listening to me?" With no response a second time, Albus nudged his brother.

"She's beautiful" James said to his brother. "It's a pity she doesn't like me" James added, "Gonna try and change that" James added. "Now what were you saying?" James asked his younger brother, quickly changing the subject.

"I was asking why you never mentioned you were Quidditch captain"

"I wanted it to be a surprise when we played ye. Well, I gotta go and get a team together" James replied as he made for the Gryffindor common room. Albus was left alone but he didn't wait around for long in the halls. Although he had been with the Headmaster, Albus had a feeling that the Wincanton would still punish him for breaking the rules. Albus began walking, quickly, back to his common room. His team were guaranteed a semi final in the Quidditch cup, Albus now knew that and he immediately thought about getting a team together.

On his return to the common room, however, Albus found that his friends had gone to bed. He soon joined them when people started asking him why he had been to the Headmaster's office on the first night. Not in the mood to answer all the questions that came his way, Albus retreated to the dormitory for the night. He had taken off his robes and changed into his pyjamas. Albus was ready to get into bed when Scorpius spoke. "What was that about?" he asked Albus as the Potter boy climbed into bed.

"New Quidditch cup. We're already in a semi final" Albus responded.

"What? So there's only gonna be two games and you win the Cup?" Scorpius asked. "Who are we playing then anyway?" he added at the end.

"No... We play everyone twice and then the table decides who plays who in the semi finals" Albus responded. "We're playing Gryffindor first" Albus told him. "Tryouts at the end of the week once I book the pitch" Albus said, followed by a yawn. "I'm gonna sleep now. I'm absolutely wrecked"

Silence descended on the fourth year dormitory and Albus wasn't awake for long. Nothing, thankfully he though, preoccupied his mind and Albus was asleep within ten minutes of laying his head on the pillow.

* * *

Albus' deep, dreamless sleep was cut short by someone rocking him. "Classes start in five minutes" he heard a voice say close to him. His eyes shot open and he flailed his arms in an attempt to sit up in bed. He saw Luke turn away and he jumped out of the bed. Albus rushed about; getting dressed, gathering parchment, ink and quills. As he looked at the pile of books he owned, he realised he didn't know lessons he had. "Luke" Albus called, "what have we got?"

"Herbology and double Charms. New structure and what not, you missed the talk and breakfast." he replied from just outside the door.

Albus picked up his bag and threw his Herbology book into his bag followed by his Charms book. He packed some ink, a quill and a couple rolls of parchment. Albus picked up his wand from his nightstand and rushed out the door. Albus ran down the stairs, through the common room and to the Entrance Hall. Albus paused for a few seconds there and was greeted by Professor Longbottom exiting the Great Hall. "You're lucky Al," he said, "The new Headmaster gave us strict guidelines about students being late for class. Three tomes and it's detention"

"Well I'll be there the same time as you so I'm on time" Albus replied.

"I'm just letting you know" Neville replied. The pair exited the caste and made their way towards the greenhouses. The class was gathered outside the collection of greenhouses. "Number three" Professor Longbottom called to the class as he made his way to the largest of the greenhouses with a number three painted just above the door. Albus was the first into the greenhouse despite being the last to arrive. They had been in greenhouse three only once before and Albus instinctively took a seat in an area similar to where he sat the last time. Luke sat one side of him at the long table with Emily on the other side. Scorpius was across from him and Ashley beside him.

"Good sleep?" Luke asked Albus with a smile on his face.

"It was great until you woke me up" Albus responded with a wry smile.

"You missed breakfast and Kelly telling us about the new class schedule." Luke told him. "Here," the Irish boy handed him a sheet of paper, "I took your schedule". Professor Longbottom had been organising pots, peat and plants at the top of the classroom while the students talked among themselves.

"Why do they always insist on giving us a double History of Magic?" he asked aloud.

"Every subject gets a double class a week" Emily replied.

"What's the new class schedule anyway?" Albus asked.

"Three classes from nine to twelve. Each class is fifty five minutes. There's a five minute break between each period. We have a break from twelve to one and then three more fifty five minute periods with a five minute break between each" Emily answered quickly. Albus smiled in disbelief. She had answered the question without even taking a breath.

"Thanks" Albus laughed.

"Silence please" Professor Longbottom said. "Fourth year Herbology sees the end of the curriculum. Hopefully" he added at the end. "We are ahead of where we should be so I have set the goal for us to finish the course by the end of this school year. To start, we will begin planting Fluxweed and then using the Herbivicus charm to grow them quicker. Professor Kelly has requested Fluxweed and so I thought it would be a good chance for you all to practise this charm. Seeds, pots and peat is all here and the charm is quite simple. Stand about two or three feet away from the pot, point your wand and say Herbivicus. Go" the professor said to the class who rushed to gather the appropriate equipment. The entire class of Slytherin and Hufflepuff students rushed to the top of the long table and pulled pots, filling them with peat and picking a handful of seeds. Scorpius, however, remained seated and pointed his wand at everything. A pot began filling itself with peat and beside it floated some seeds. In an instant, it zoomed to Scorpius and rested beside him on the table. He planted the seeds in the fresh peat and pushed them a bit away from him. Scorpius stood out of his chair, took a step backwards and pointed his wand at the pot. "Herbivicus" he said and a green spark flashed as it struck the pot. Nothing happened for a about a minute and then the plant began to shoot upwards.

As it began to flower, Professor Longbottom fired another spell, this time a jet of orange light, at the plant and the rate of growth began to slow. "Fluxweed must be picked at the full moon to the be effective in potion making and there isn't another full moon for another two weeks so we will let them grow the rest of the way for the next two weeks or so. Once you are ready to cast the charm, make sure the person beside you can cast the one to stop it growing. The incantation is Krissus. Well done Malfoy, write an account of what you've done. And that goes for the rest of you too. Go" Professor Longbottom said.

"Al, you ready?" Emily asked as he stood back and pointed her wand at the pot.

"Yeah, go" he replied with a smile. Emily said the incantation and again, nothing happened for about a minute. The plant shot upwards, beginning to bloom.

"Now Albus!" Emily said.

"Krissus" he shouted but nothing happened. A jet of orange light shot from his wand but missed the stalk of the plant. "Krissus" he said again but the aim was poor and the spell was panicked. It hit a stalk somewhere to the left of Emily's and the plant continued to grow. It hit the ceiling of the greenhouse and and then, the plant died. "Sorry Em" Albus said. "I don't know what happened there"

"It's okay Al," she replied, "it's not your fault"

"It is" he replied, angrily throwing his seeds into the pot. "Herbivicus" he muttered and the seeds began to bloom. The stalk rose towards the ceiling and Emily fired the counter charm to the stalk. The beam of orange light struck the stalk and the plant stopped growing immediately. "Thanks Emily" Albus said but he was downbeat and disappointed.

"There's only five minutes left" Professor Longbottom said. "Label your pots and leave them on window sill here" the professor said pointing to the empty window sill of the greenhouse.

"Take this one Emily," Albus said, "I'll put my name on your one."

"No, I'm not doing that" she replied but it was too late. Albus had written his name on the pot that housed the dead plant while Emily's name was inscribed into the plant which she had stopped growing at the perfect time. Albus took them both over to the window ledge and left them there. "Al," Emily said but Albus didn't hear her. "Albus Potter!" she said loudly, much louder than the first call had been.

"Leave it Emily," Albus told her quietly, "it's my fault and you're not failing this because of what I did. You did everything perfectly" he said and he began packing up his bags. Albus' voice was quiet and the sadness was evident. Emily decided not to argue with him but felt bad about Albus getting a poor grade when it wasn't entirely his fault.

"The class is nearly over so write about what you did today for homework. It doesn't need to be anymore than seven or eight lines." Professor Longbottom told the class. "And you are all dismissed" he said. The class packed up and Albus threw his book back into his angrily, followed by his quill and the bottle of ink. He even surprised himself when it didn't break. Albus slung the bag over his shoulder and caught up with Luke and Scorpius.

"I ruined Emily's plant" Albus said to his friends. "I thought she was going to kill me or something"

"Nah," Scorpius said, "she should've ruined your plant but she's too nice for that"

"Yeah, you're probably right. I gave her my plant in the end though" Albus told them.

"You're such a lovely lad" Luke said with a smile. "She might still like you after that. You like her anyway"

"Leave it" Albus said. He was in a bad mood now and didn't really want to talk about anything. Why he had brought it up, he wasn't sure. They arrived to the Charms classroom early and Professor Flitwick, the evergreen and tiny professor greeted them.

"Nice to see you excited about Charms" he said to them as they entered. The three boys entered and sat down in their usual seats near the back of the classroom. Albus sighed as he sat, trying to return to his normal state of calm. He removed the charms book from his bag and threw it onto the table.

Hufflepuff students filled into the classroom along with their Slytherin counterparts. "I like Wednesday mornings" Albus said to Luke and Scorpius either side of him. "No classes with Gryffindor"

"The Gryffindors aren't that bad." Scorpius said and Albus had to do a double take. Did he just hear Scorpius correctly? "I don't really care who we have classes with" Albus had a feeling what Luke was going to say but Professor Flitwick interrupted them.

"Charms is not a difficult subject. Concentration is the key and I will put that to the test today. Those who are concentrated will not struggle with today's assignment. Those who's minds are elsewhere will indeed have difficulty in this class today." Professor Flitwick continued to speak, telling the class that they would be returning to the seize and pull charm. Albus remembered learning that charm the previous year and it wasn't too difficult. His head right now, however, was going to make it much harder than he remembered. Professor Flitwick promised no homework to anyone who succeeded in performing the charm five times in succession.

By the end of the class, the majority of students had managed this. Albus was among a small minority of three that failed to master the charms. Albus managed to work the charm only twice and that came in between many unsuccessful attempts. Albus now had to write half a roll of parchment about the pull and seize charm and what it takes to work it. The first day back was going badly for Albus and he was glad that he had an hour break before his next classes.

Albus went with Luke and Scorpius for lunch meeting Emily and Ashley at the table. Albus didn't really speak, still in his own shell after the morning's class. The new hour long lunch break, the only of the day, helped Albus. After eating a small lunch despite missing breakfast, Albus made his way to the dungeons to seek out the Head of Slytherin house. Professor Kelly was in his office, as Albus had hoped. Albus knocked on the door and a quiet call of 'enter' sounded from the room. Albus did as instructed and walked tentatively into the room. "Albus!" the professor said happily. "What can I do for you?"

"I just want to book the Quidditch pitch for sometime this weekend" Albus said to him, his tones still downbeat.

"I'll have a look" he said. Professor Kelly opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a long scroll of parchment. "Saturday at eleven. It's free until one" Professor Kelly said, unrolling only the top of the scroll. Picking up a quill, the potions master wrote across the top of the page. "That's done now"

"Thanks professor" Albus said, shoulders slumped, head down and voice quiet.

"Is everything all right Albus?" Professor Kelly asked just as Albus turned to leave.

"Yeah, yeah," he replied, still looking at the ground, "everything's fine."

"No it's not Albus. What's wrong?" the professor asked

"I just ruined Emily's plant in Herbology. We were doing the Herbivicus charm and I couldn't stop her Fluxweed growing. I kept missing and I felt bad about killing it on her. I gave her mine but I just keep thinking about how sad she looked when I missed. Twice. And thinking about that just upsets me if you know what I mean" Albus blurted out. He spoke quickly and then wasn't sure if Professor Kelly had heard everything say.

"You're not the first person I've talked to about girl problems-" Professor Kelly started but was cut off.

"I don't have girl problems. I have spell casting problems!" Albus replied, his voice rising and a smile returning to his face. Professor Kelly was also smiling.

"But your spell casting problems lead into girl problems" rebutted the potions master.

"I'm telling you now sir, I don't have girl problems." Albus told him, emphasising 'don't'. He was now smiling broadly.

"Go on Albus, go and fix your girl problems now that you've stopped moping." Albus smiled broadly once more.

"Thanks sir" Albus replied and left the office making the short walk to the common room. Upon returning, Albus immediately spotted his friends. He walked over to the far side of the common room and sat down beside them.

"You look a lot happier" Luke noted.

"Yeah, did I miss something?" Scorpius joked. Albus smiled at him.

"Nah that was Albus in Herbology" Luke added. Albus loved Luke's quick witted nature and couldn't help but laugh at his own expense. "Nice to see you enjoying yourself though. I felt like hitting mopey Albus" Luke told him.

"Can we just forget about Herbology" Albus asked.

"No problem whatsoever" Scorpius replied. "Defence Against the Dark Arts starts in five minutes"

* * *

Ten minutes later and the three boys were seated side by side in the third floor Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, shared, once again, with the Gryffindors. Albus now hoped for a practical class. He knew that the old Professor Fulton wouldn't have allowed that but now that she was no longer under the Imperius Curse; it would be like having a completely new teacher.

The professor entered the classroom and took a seat behind her desk. Albus thought she looked younger and prettier than she had the previous year. It took Albus a few moments to recognise her. "Welcome," she said kindly to the class, "to fourth year Defence Against the Dark Arts. This is probably the most important year in the learning of this subject. To see where you all are, we're going to have a twenty or thirty minute written test and the rest will be spent on practising spells." Professor Fulton flicked her wand and the stack of parchments that rested beside her distributed themselves to each of the students.

It was a summarised test of everything they should have done for the past three years. Magical creatures took up about half of the test paper with much of the rest the theory of magic they had learned; simple things like the Expelliarmus spell (Albus couldn't remember how to cast the spell, he had done it so much it felt natural) and some of the jinxes they had learned. Albus wrote furiously, trying to write everything he knew about all the jinxes, about werewolves, kappas and hinkypunks as well as snippets of information that weren't exactly relevant to some questions. "Are we finished?" she asked the class with a smile. Albus had written everything he could and the class answered a 'yes' in unison. Another flick of her wand and Professor Fulton was looking at the tests on her desk. "Clear off your desks please" she asked and the students hurried to do so. Professor Fulton flicker her wand for the third time in the class and the desks and chairs vanished and the student's bags were moved to the back corner of the room. "Pair up with someone from the opposite house as much as possible" she ordered the students. Albus looked straight across the room and saw that Conor Kavanagh's eyes were already on him. Albus grinned, giving him that 'I'm with you' look.

They walked across the room, meeting halfway and Albus was relishing the chance to earn a reprieve after that morning's failings. "Use only spells that you have learned in this school, in this class particularly. Keep duelling continuously and I will evaluate each pair as I go around. Get some space and begin" Professor Fulton told the class.

Albus took a few steps back and Kavanagh did likewise. Albus held his wand in front of him and nodded at his opponent; the boy that had been his fierce rival since he had arrived at Hogwarts. Kavanagh returned the nod and he drew first. He lifted his wand over his shoulder and flung his arm forward with like a whip. Albus didn't hear what he said nor did he recognise the spell. A long bolt of purple light launched towards Albus. Unable to conjure a shield, Albus ducked and sidestepped, the lasso-like bolt missing him and hitting the wall behind him. Mid step, Albus drew his own wand straight back and jutted it forward. "Bombarda" Albus said. He knew it wasn't a duelling spell but for some reason, it was the first that came to mind. Kavanagh was thrown backwards, landing near the Professor's desk. He got back up and stumbled back towards Albus but he never managed to get a spell away. "Impedimenta" Albus shouted and struck Kavanagh. Albus continued this onslaught when Professor Fulton arrived to evaluate the pair. Kavanagh moved slowly and with a limp; he was clearly hurt. "Expelliarmus" Albus said loudly and forcefully. The impact of the spell knocked Kavanagh over and his wand spiralled into the air before landing on the ground.

"Excellent Mr Potter, excellent" Professor Fulton said. Albus smiled happily; he definitely had not lost any of his ability during the summer. Herbology that morning, Albus thought, was just rustiness.

* * *

**A/N: Apologies about the late update. I know I said it would be every weekend but this past weekend was absolutely hectic for me. Apologies once again, hope you all enjoy this chapter. I will do my best to have another chapter up on Saturday _OR _Sunday**


	5. Clashes

**Disclaimer: This story is based upon characters and worlds created by and belonging to JK Rowling as well as all other copyright holders. No copyright infringement is intended**

**5: Clashes**  
Albus basked in the glow of comprehensively beating Conor Kavanagh in a duel during the Defence Against the Dark Arts class for the rest of the day. It was hard to believe that it was only about an hour and a half previous that Albus felt as if he was no longer capable of successfully doing the simplest of spells. Muggle Studies with the effervescent Professor Woodward only added to Albus' high spirits. A class of revision from what they had learned the previous year wasn't usually exciting but when the professor but house points on offer, it became very competitive as well as enjoyable. Albus answered two questions, winning ten points for Slytherin. It wasn't as easy as the professor had first made it sound as a wrong answer would result in the loss of the points unless, of course, you hadn't earned any points yet. Professor Woodward said she didn't want to discourage students from speaking up. Albus, having already gained ten points, attempted to answer a question about muggle technology. He would still have gained points so he thought it was worth a try. Albus' answer was spectacularly wrong, losing him half of the points he had won. Albus looked at things positively; he had gained five points for Slytherin. Professor Binns did his best to dampen Albus' spirits but not even an almost hour long class with the ghost professor for History of Magic could upset Albus. He lost concentration quickly and began to recall the various spells that had struck Kavanagh during Defence Against the Dark Arts. One thing that also cheered him up was the praise he received from Professor Fulton. She had clearly decided to start everything afresh this year; giving everyone a clean slate.

Albus continued to ride the crest of a wave through Thursday, successfully brewing his Potions during the morning's double period and earning a reprieve in Charms class after his failure in the previous day's lesson. Defence Against the Dark Arts continued to buoy Albus' spirits. They began to discuss counter spells. Almost every spell had a counter; the main exception being the Killing Curse. Albus knew about a lot of these as James and his father had often talked about him. Albus was ever attentive when they did and they had stuck in his brain and he was now able to recall them. Professor Fulton once again praised Albus (as well as about half the class but that didn't bother Albus) and she had gone from being his least favourite teacher to somewhere around the middle of the list.

The day was rounded off with an entertaining Care of Magical Creatures class with the half giant professor, Rubeus Hagrid. He led the class about a quarter of the way into the forest, through the three which grew denser as they walked. He started the year with unicorns. The rare creatures were a sight to behold. Hagrid introduced the adults. They were a dazzlingly bright shade of white, the horn on its forehead protruding at an angle. Their mane of white hair wasn't easily distinguishable from the rest of the creature's body but if you looked for it then it could be found. Next were the grey unicorns. They were between the ages of two and seven. One of them had a horn; the five year old according to Hagrid and one did not; the three year old. Hagrid explained that the horns grew around four years of age but could be either earlier or later than that. And lastly was a foal. A golden colour that shone brightly under the autumn sun. There was only a short mane of hair down its back and the horn wasn't there. "The older ones only really like girls so if the lads could stay back and stick to just the foal so as to not frighten the unicorns, it would be nice" Hagrid told the class. All the boys took a step back and the girls did the opposite. They stepped forward embracing the three older unicorns; the dazzling white and beautiful grey animals were surrounded by the girls of the class. The golden unicorn trotted towards the boys and they un-enthusiastically approached the animal. "Take notes about them. What they look like, how they react to human interactions et cetera et cetera." Hagrid said, his deep voice booming and echoing around the enclosed area of the forest. Albus' mood was dampened by the back seat they had to take for the class. The double class passed slowly and Albus had written three quarters of a scroll of parchment about the golden unicorn.  
Breakfast Friday morning was a quiet affair. The unknown that was Professor Wincanton filled the hall for the first time at breakfast and students weren't really sure whether they should talk and have the normal breakfast time noise or whether the strict new Headmaster would approve of it. One thing that Albus had to hand to the Headmaster was the way in which he kept the Aurors out of sight. Albus had yet to seen one member of the Auror task force that had been assigned to Hogwarts. Professor Wincanton sat with his hand clasped on his stomach, neither smiling nor frowning. It was almost as if he looked inquisitively over the students as they were eating. Professor Williamson was absent from the double period of Transfiguration and so Albus decided to use the classes to plan the Quidditch trials for the following day. He had put up a poster in the common room and he had been asked by numerous students. There was only one position on the team assuming that each of last year team members was going to play. He had yet to ask them. Albus knew that there would be a large turnout for the one free position on the team of the current champions. Albus knew he had to be ruthless in picking because he wanted to win the Cup for a third consecutive year. He wrote out a plan for the tryouts, folded it over and put it in his pocket.  
Arithmancy stepped up a huge level. The previous year, according to Professor Goyo, was only an introduction to the subject and for the students to take yet another step up in fifth year. Albus relished the challenge as it was the only subject that really challenged his use of numbers and logic. Albus thrived in the class and Professor Goyo was full of praise for Albus. "Nice to see the best get better" he said quietly to Albus as he paced the classroom; something that he often done.  
"Thanks sir" Albus replied quietly. The small Aritmancy classroom was cramped but nobody even looked up when the professor whispered to Albus. Scorpius was sitting beside Albus and he nudged him in the side with a huge grin once Professor Goyo had moved on. "Oh shut up" Albus said quietly to Scorpius. An hour lunch break was something that all the students were quickly becoming accustomed to. Albus had fallen into a routine of eating lunch around quarter past twelve and using the remaining time to lounge around the common room, chatting with Luke, Scorpius, Emily or Ashley.

Friday passed and Albus returned to the greenhouses. He was in a completely different mood from Wednesday's class and their theoretical revision class followed by thinning their Fluxweed reassured Albus that Wednesday's class was no more than a blip on the radar. He had the confident feeling once more and the sense of being able to do just about anything that was required in class. Emily was persistent in her comments to Albus, telling him how she had been right about Wednesday's class. Albus apologised to her once more about his mistakes and admitted that she had been right. Albus was more than happy to have the persistent comments finish. The continuous 'I told you' grew annoying during the class and Albus could only smile and profusely apologise to Emily.

"How cute" Scorpius whispered to Ashley but loud enough for both Emily and Albus to hear. They both turned their heads across the table towards the blonde pair and looked sternly at them. Ashley burst out laughing while Scorpius returned the serious stare; almost staring straight through Albus who eventually broke and smiled across at him.

"Is everything okay down there Ms Wilson?" Professor Longbottom asked.

"Yes sir" she replied after settling herself.

"Very well," he said looking at his watch, "dismissed." He said quickly, returning to his desk and shuffling through pages. The class packed up and Albus made his way back to the castle with Scorpius and Luke. The pair spent most of their time making fun of Albus but he quickly changed the subject.

"All joking aside," he said, "you're playing this year, right?" Albus asked.

"Yeah, of course!" Scorpius replied. "What about the others?"

"You're the first one I asked" Albus replied sheepishly. "You gonna try out Luke?" Albus asked with a smile.

He laughed. "No" Luke said, "I can't fly very well as you know from first year!" he joked. Luke was a very poor flyer, he struggled to get off the ground and when he did the broom wobbled. "I'll just leave it to you guys and I'll sit in the stands"

The last class of the day was Potions and Professor Kelly went through the uses and properties of a number of Potions ingredients. First up was the bloodroot plant. "Bloodroot is a perennial flowering plant. Its flowers have delicate white petals and yellow reproductive parts." Professor Kelly explained. "It can be poisonous…well it is poisonous so we deal it with very little" he continued explaining. "It is important however you can identify it and that you can write a couple of lines about it for exams" Professor Kelly told the class. He produced one of the plants with his wand, levitating it with his wand. "This is the flower of the bloodroot plant" said Professor Kelly. "It is very delicate," he said, "example." Professor Kelly picked up a small stick from his desk and poked the flower. A few of the petals fell off and it began withering. "Once the petals fall off, the rest of the flower begins to die. That, however, does not mean it loses its poison. It begins to seep out after twenty four hours. I am warning you all now to steer clear of this flower as much as you can. You will see a small supply in the cupboard. Leave them where they are" he said sternly. "Is that clear?" he asked the class, glaring out at them.

"Yes sir" they all chimed as a reply in unison.

"Good," he said, "go on. Leave now before I change my mind and yap on for the last ten minutes of class" The class happily packed up their things. "Albus can you stay behind for a minute please" he added at the end after about half the class had left. Albus left his bag on the desk and walked up to the professor's desk. Scorpius and Luke left giving Albus the 'we'll see you in the common room' gesture.

"What is it sir?" Albus asked, confused. He wasn't sure why Professor Kelly wanted to talk to him.

"Tim was talking to me earlier," he started, "Tim Clarke and he wasn't sure whether he was going to play this year. He said he wanted to talk to you about it, he wouldn't tell me anything more" Professor Kelly said. "What about the rest of last year's team? Are they all playing?"

"Well... eh... I don't know yet" Albus replied, "I've only asked Scorpius and he is. I was gonna get onto it tonight"

"Go on so Albus. Don't let me hold you up. Do your homework and prepare for Quidditch tryouts" Professor Kelly said happily. Albus picked his bag off the table, slung it over one shoulder and made the short walk back to the common room. He immediately sought out the remaining members of the Quidditch team. Ashley was the easiest to find. When he asked her if he was playing she looked at him and replied sarcastically.

"Guess" was the response. Albus pulled out a rough piece of parchment and scribbled down both Ashley's name and Scorpius' name. He shoved it into his pocket and moved around the common room. He found Amy Barry in front of the fire next.

"Hey Al" she said happily. "I'll be there tomorrow, don't worry. I'll try out again if you want"

"No, it's okay" Albus said, "you don't need to try out again. I'm just making sure that everyone is playing again this year"

"Well I was talking to Vince earlier on today and he said he can't wait to get back. He said he hardly had a chance all summer to play. I think he lives in a town or something" Amy told him with her usual smile.

"Thanks Amy, that'll save me time" Albus replied. "Well I have to find Tim and ask him. Professor Kelly told me that he wasn't sure if he was gonna play" he told her.

"Okay, well see ya tomorrow so" she said. Albus nodded a goodbye and turned away, looking in all directions around the common room trying to find Tim Clarke. Albus spotted him, exiting the staircase from the dormitory. Albus made his way over to the older boy. "Tim!" he called.

"Ah, Albus" he responded once he saw the boy. "I've been waiting for this. You've been talking to Kelly"

"Yeah. If you don't have the time or whatever to play this year, I understand" Albus told him. "But I just want you to know how important you would be to the team"

"It's just my parents don't want me playing if it's going to interfere with my studies. NEWT's are important and I want to do well. I wanted to talk to you just to see what you're planning for the year"

"Well I won't lie to you. My plans are really only in my head. I was going to talk to the team as a whole after we filled the gap. I planned for two practices a week. One of the evenings during the week and a Saturday or Sunday morning. That's it. The game plan will be the same as last year, you know what it is. I'm not going to make you decide now but it would be nice to know before the start tomorrow" Albus said.

"I want to play but I want to do well in my NEWT's. Two times a week is doable I suppose and we have a good chance again this year. Look, I'll sleep on it and I'll talk to you in the morning." Tim replied, his voice making his internal struggle clear.

"Okay. No problem" Albus replied returning to his friends for the evening.

* * *

Saturday morning came and Albus woke early. It was not long after eight when he climbed out of bed and got dressed. Albus looked at the still sleeping figures of Luke and Scorpius and decided not to wake them. He put his hands into his jeans pockets and strolled out of the dormitory, making the quiet and lonely walk to the Great Hall for breakfast. Albus was happy to have time to himself. He had time to think about what was ahead of him that morning.

The Great Hall was almost completely empty. There was a smattering of students at each table and Albus joined the handful of Slytherin early risers. He took a seat about halfway down the table and looked around at all the space. On a weekday, the Great Hall was usually a hive of student activity at this time. On the weekend, however, it was a quiet haven. Albus ate his breakfast slowly. He was in absolutely no rush. Bacon, sausages, eggs and toast filled Albus' plate. He ate it all and when he finished, he became excited. The morning ahead, he knew, would mark the start of a new Quidditch season and Albus couldn't wait for the first game when James would captain the Gryffindors. According to Professor Kelly it would be the first time in Hogwarts history that two brothers would face off as captains.

Albus returned to cavern that was the Slytherin common room and pulled out his broom from underneath his bed. His Quidditch gear was locked in the Slytherin changing rooms below the house's grandstand. He had one of the three keys. Albus dug it out of his trunk and, slinging the broom over his shoulder, made his way back out of the common room and towards the exit of the castle. It was now half nine and the common room now house more people. There five or six from each year making their way into and out of the common room and Albus walked alone through the dungeon corridor, up the stairs to the Entrance Hall and out the doors into the courtyard. Albus made the trek through the dewy grass of the sloping hills and down towards the Quidditch pitch. Albus headed straight for the Slytherin grandstand, the green flags flying high at the top, well above Albus' head. He went through the gap of the green covering at the base of the grandstand and up one short flight of the steps. He took out the key and unlocked the trap door, pushing it over his head and walking up the last few steps into the familiar surroundings of the dressing room. Albus went over to his spot and saw his green and silver robes hanging up in pristine condition. He put his broom on the bench and took a seat underneath his robes. By quarter past ten, Albus began getting changed; taking off his jeans, jumper and t-shirt and replacing them with the white trousers, green jersey and green and silver trimmed robes of Slytherin. His robes, he was sure, just about fitted him at the end of last year but now they fitted him snugly. They had clearly been altered but Albus didn't really mind. The houses were in charge of the Quidditch uniforms and the Head of House was responsible for making sure each member of the team had one that fit. The people who were trying out often wore uniforms from previous years that had been left behind or no longer fit a player.

By half past ten Albus had took the crate of Slytherin practise balls and had them placed on the centre circle of the field. Time passed and students arrived, the members of the previous year's team were in the changing rooms getting into their gear. Tim Clarke was the first one out and he confirmed to Albus that he would indeed be playing for the coming year. Albus had a clipboard (that he borrowed off Professor Kelly) a sheet of parchment and a quill. He left it at the entrance to the pitch from the Slytherin tower and told everyone that was interested in trying out to write their name and preferred position on the sheet. It saved him a lot of writing. The students were all gathered on the pitch and Albus told Scorpius to take them on a few warm up laps. Scorpius nodded and mounted his broom and told everyone to follow him. It was easy to pick out those who were serious and those who were there for the sake of it. "Send all the poor flyers to the stands." Albus told Ashley who quickly mounted her broom and took off at full tilt behind the pack of flying Slytherins. Albus quickly retrieved the sheet of paper and clipboard, looking back as Ashley zig-zaaged through the group, picking out people and pointing, looking apologetic, at the stand. There was soon a much smaller group rounding the pitch in the air. Ashley had thinned the group by about half and Albus beckoned for Scorpius to return them to the ground. Albus called out all the names, crossing off any that had been sent to the stands. "Unfortunately," Albus said loudly to the group, "there is no Beater spot available. So anyone that was trying out for Beater, if you could please go the stand it would be much appreciated." Four or five of the group retreated to the stand leaving only ten.

"Oi!" came a loud call from the opposite side of the field. Albus turned and saw James, bedecked in Quidditch gear, and looking ready to go. Albus walked over to his brother.

"What is it James?" he asked once he was close enough.

"Wrap it up soon. I have the pitch at twelve" James replied.

"I have it until one" Albus rebutted. "Kelly told me when I booked the pitch"

"Neville said it was free at twelve. I'm starting my tryouts at twelve and that's it." James said with a tone of finality in his voice.

"We'll split the pitch" Albus suggested. "That's the best I'm going to give you"

"If you weren't my brother I'd argue with you. But because you are, I'll take the half if you're out of here ASAP" James said.

"Gimme another hour to finish this" Albus told him. "Then you'll have the whole pitch"

"Grand" James replied, turning away and going under the Gryffindor grandstand once more. Albus returned to the centre of the pitch and put them into groups of three. "Ashey and Amy you're with Tony" Albus told him, introducing them to the slight framed second year. Albus remembered sharing a carriage with him on the first night and decided to see how good the boy was. "Ye are gonna defend against group two first" Albus told them. The two girls and young boy took to the air to defend the hoops along with Scorpius.

"One each" Ashley shouted at the other two, pointing to who each of them should take. Young Tony seemed to ignore this as the group began to attack. He started on the wing but the instant that the sixth year Troy Fisher began to draw back his arm to throw the Quaffle. Tony immediately rushed forward and intercepted the pass that should have reached the man he was supposed to be covering. Albus was impressed. He left the same three defending again and once again Tony read the game as if it was a colouring book, making the interception. Albus was also impressed with his reactions and his speed. He then told the three to attack and Tony once again impressed; the inter play between the trio was as if they had been playing together for years. Albus had already made his decision but to make sure everyone got a fair chance he allowed everyone a chance to both defend and attack.

The Gryffindors were now using the other half of the pitch and Albus called everyone in. "That was excellent, absolutely excellent everybody. Thanks for coming. I'll announce the team for the year later on this evening in the common room after dinner."

They all returned to the dressing rooms and Albus was the last to leave. Tony Manareno left just before Albus and Albus rushed to meet him. "Tony" he said as they made their way towards the castle. All the crowds had gone before them and they were the only Slytherins left of the lawns.

"Hey Albus" he said quietly.

"Tony, you were excellent today. I wanted to talk to you before I announce the team"

"I didn't make the team, did I?" he asked, his head now dropped, his chin almost touching his chest. His eyes were wide and Albus had a feeling that young Tony often got his own way!

"The exact opposite!" Albus said happily. "You're the new Chaser, number six is yours" Albus said as sincere as he could. The boy's face lit up.

"Really?" he asked excitedly.

"Yes Tony" Albus replied. "But don't tell anyone until I announce the team tonight."

"I won't Albus… eh captain…" he said, stopping mid sentence unsure what to say.

"Just call me Al" Albus told him, patting his shoulder and walking on towards the castle.

Albus relaxed for the rest of the day, lounging around the common room and talking with his friends. There was one stage when they asked him who the new Chaser would be but Albus refused to tell them. The day passed slowly and Albus was more than happy to finally catch up with his friends. Luke, unhappily, retold the story of his summer trip to Freiburg in Germany as well as the short train rides to France and Switzerland. Albus told them that they really did nothing much because Harry couldn't get time off work. Ashley returned to visit her family in Australia and spent much of the British summer in the Australian winter. "It's like my mother didn't want me to have a summer this year! We go to Australia in winter time and we come back here for the winter! I nearly forget what the sun looks like" she complained. Scorpius said he had a similar summer to Albus. Draco had recently been promoted in St. Mungo's and he couldn't get much time off. Emily told her story of she travelled across America. Her story was the most impressive and it was then that she told them that she never thought about buying them anything. Albus recalled receiving a post card from her during the summer accompanied by a bar of America's answer to Honeyduke's chocolate.

* * *

Having happily avoided a serious clash with James that morning, Albus returned from dinner ready to announce the Quidditch team. "I will be the Seeker and captain this year" Albus said first. "Scorpius will once again wear the number one as our Keeper. Tim and Vince will be the Beaters as they were last year. Ashley and Amy will be joined by our new Chaser… Tony Manareno!" Albus announced. There was stagnated applause and Albus returned to his seat to talk with his friends.

They had completed the first week (or half week) back and Albus had gotten little homework for the weekend. He completed it after the Quidditch tryouts. Sunday came and it accompanied by some unexpected news.


	6. Divides

**Disclaimer: This story is based upon characters and worlds created by and belonging to JK Rowling as well as all other relevant copyright holders.**

**6: Divides**

Breakfast on Sunday morning was the usual. Albus, Luke and Scorpius sat talking between bites, awaiting the arrival of the only Sunday post. The Daily Prophet newspaper was the only post that arrived on Sunday's during the normal post times. Owls, of course, could arrive at any time in the day with letters or parcels from parents for their children. Scorpius, as always, led the conversation. Albus had only briefly told them what his father had revealed the night of his birthday party. He told them that Professor Fulton had been under the Imperius Curse. He hadn't mentioned the 'higher power' that Harry suspected the Enforcer had behind him. "My dad said that he thinks the Enforcer has a higher power behind him. Like, he's a puppet to hide who's actually behind everything." Albus whispered to them as the topic of the Enforcer had come up.

"Hey Scorpius!" called Ashley from down the table, the Daily Prophet open in front of her. "Have you seen this?" she asked raising the paper slightly to illustrate her point.

"No" he replied, "haven't got the paper yet." Just as he spoke, an owl swooped down and dropped the paper onto the table in front of Scorpius. He unrolled it and looked at the headline.

_Head Auror Potter makes arrest_

_Head Auror Harry Potter last night confirmed that his office had made a 'major arrest'. Potter, along with John Wilson, made the announcement late last night. A statement from Mr Wilson said 'The Auror office last night made the arrest of Lucius Malfoy. No further comments at this time'__  
__Malfoy was previously incarcerated in the mid 1990's after being suspected of being a Death Eater and part of Lord Voldemort's inner circle. Malfoy escaped from Azkaban and was later given a severely reduced sentence after his co-operation with the Auror department. The charges or suspicions against Mr Malfoy have yet to be released by Potter's office and there is no indication to them. There will be more on this story as we get it._

Scorpius dropped the paper onto the table, got up and left the hall. "What's happened?" Albus asked, not having seen the paper. Luke looked at the main article and read through it quickly.

"Your dad arrested his grandfather" Luke said sombrely.

"Why?" Albus asked confused.

"It doesn't say." Luke replied. "No reason given. I've a feeling he's gonna be a bit annoyed"

"But I thought he wasn't even close with his granddad" Albus replied.

"Well… he actually told me that they kinda made up this summer. He said that he wasn't himself a couple years ago and he was really sorry. He told him that if he didn't do what Parker asked, Parker was gonna kill his whole family or something like that"

"Maybe we should go talk to him" Albus suggested.

"I think we should give him time to cool off" Luke said.

"You're definitely right" Emily said from behind them sliding into the seat that was previously occupied by Scorpius. Ashley squeezed in beside her.

"He did not look happy" Ashley added.

"Let him calm down first" Emily continued. Albus decided to take the girls' advice and let Scorpius be for the time being. Sunday was a leisurely day and the fine weather outside meant that many of the students took the chance to use the Hogwarts' grounds as a place of study. Albus, Luke, Emily and Ashley went straight outside after breakfast and took a slow walk around the grounds.

"Why do you think he got arrested?" Luke asked.

"I dunno" Albus said.

"Well…" Emily said. "He was with Parker and stuff and I'm sure there's probably an investigation going on into all of the things involving Parker. They probably found out that he was linked with him and then they arrested him. They probably only took him in for questioning. He hasn't yet been charged" Emily said.

"Oh you're probably right" Albus said.

Their walk around the grounds continued as they approached the lake. The large tree beside the lake, usually a busy spot for the students, saw a lone figure sit beneath it. Albus knew who it was. Scorpius sat beneath the tree, head in hands with his elbows resting on his knees. Albus knew almost immediately it was Scorpius. The blonde hair and pale skin of the Malfoy boy were the giveaways. The four approached Scorpius. "Hey Scorpius" Albus said. Scorpius didn't flinch. He sat ignoring Albus. "Is everything okay?" Albus asked. Scorpius remained unmoving, staring blankly over the lake.

"Scorpius," Luke said approaching the boy, "you okay?" Luke touched Scorpius' shoulder and finally turned his head towards his four friends.

"Yeah." He replied, his voice distant. "I'm fine. Just thinking"

"Do you want us to leave you alone?" Albus asked. "Or would you prefer to talk about it?" Scorpius returned to staring blankly over the lake.

"I think we'll just go. Talk to you later" Luke said.

"Thanks. I just want to be on my own to think about things" Scorpius told them. The four walked back towards the castle. "I get the feeling that Scorpius doesn't want to talk to you"

"Great observation Luke" Emily said with a smile.

"He's probably upset with Albus, and maybe Ashley too, because it was their family involved in arresting his grandfather. If what you said is true then they were pretty close. He's clearly going to be angry about it and unfortunately, it's gonna be you two," she pointed at Albus and Ashley, "that he'll be angry" Emily told them.

"Once again, you're probably right" Albus said. They were soon in the common room once more and Albus wasn't sure what to think. He didn't want to have a falling out with Scorpius over things that were out of his control. He sighed at the prospect of being on bad terms with Scorpius. He hoped that it would pass with the day. His hope never materialised.

The following morning at breakfast brought more controversy. Treason was the main charge labelled against Lucius Malfoy. Scorpius had looked through the first few lines on the front page of the Daily Prophet and for the first time since the previous morning, he looked at Albus. Scorpius merely shook his head in disgust before breaking the eye contact and returning his view to the newspaper. Albus ate his breakfast and returned to the common room to retrieve his books for class. A double period of Defence Against the Dark Arts began Monday morning. Albus took his usual a seat beside Luke. Scorpius entered the classroom and when he saw Albus, he walked towards the other half of the room and took a seat beside Rose. Albus remembered Scorpius saying that the Gryffindors weren't all that bad; that would now be put to the test. Professor Fulton entered the classroom, her new cheery self. She resumed talking about counter spells and counter curses in particular. Albus began to think as she spoke. Why was Scorpius so upset with him? What could Albus do about his father's job? Albus asked himself these questions continually during Defence Against the Dark Arts and during the rest of the classes that day. By dinner that evening, he still didn't have an answer and Scorpius still wasn't talking to him. Luke was torn between sitting with Scorpius and Albus and so compromised; he ate dinner with Ashley and Emily. Albus sat with the young second year, Tony Manareno.

"Why aren't you with your friends?" the youngster asked Albus.

"Did you see the paper yesterday or today?" Albus asked. Tony nodded. "My dad arrested Scorpius' granddad and he's not talking to me now." Tony talked to Albus, mainly about Quidditch and Albus didn't even want to think what their first practise would be like now that the Keeper and the Seeker weren't on speaking terms.

"I rather not talk about Quidditch" Albus told him. "Sorry mate but I don't want to think about that right now. How's all your studies and stuff going?" he asked quickly, hoping to get off the topic. Tony took the hint.

"It's okay I suppose. I don't see the point in History of Magic though. Nobody even listens to the old fellow"

"I've been wondering that since my first year mate" Albus replied. "You're gonna have a special place in Kelly's class now" Albus told him, "just a heads up. He has a certain affinity for Quidditch and the Slytherin players. Don't be surprised if your grades jump by about five percent"

"I don't think my grades in Potions can jump by about five percent. Wouldn't be possible" Tony replied with a smile. "Can't get more than a hundred" the youngster said with a cheeky smile at Albus. Albus laughed at him.

"You're cocky for a second year" Albus replied.

"Kelly told me you were the same in second year so can you really criticise?" Tony asked rhetorically. Albus knew he was right. Albus saw a lot of himself in the boy two years his junior. Perhaps that was why he had grown fond of him. Albus wasn't sure the exact reason but he had grown close to Tony in the last few days.

"Do you know my sister well?" Albus asked randomly.

"I suppose I know Lily well enough" Tony told him. Albus looked at him with a smile.

"It's a bad day when I spend my dinner chatting with a second year." The older boy said. Albus ran a hand through his hair and looked down the table towards the lone figure of Scorpius. He needed to talk to him face to face and try to resolve the issue.

"Well if anyone asks you can just tell them that you were talking about Quidditch with me or something" Tony said.

"Yeah… that's a good idea" Albus said. "I want to actually talk to you about Quidditch anyway. You read the game really well… where did you learn to read the game like that?" Albus asked.

"I spent my childhood at Quidditch games. My mother played with the Holyhead Harpies. She's a coach there now" Tony said.

"Wait… who's your mother?" Albus asked, now intrigued. Ginny, of course, had played with the Holyhead Harpies.

"Adele Manson" Tony said. "She never bothered to change her surname for Quidditch and stuff when she got married."

"Woah… your mother is Adele Manson! She used to be like my favourite player as a kid" Albus said in amazement. "And I know how you feel about growing up watching Quidditch. I was nearly flying before I was walking I spent so much time around Quidditch players"

"Hey… your mother and father are famous!" Tony said. "I was the same. I spent so much time around Quidditch, and I still do in the summer, that at the level the tryouts were at, it was really easy to read." Tony told him.

Albus finished his dinner and returned to the common room for the evening. He finished off the bit of homework he had and went to bed. He lay awake for what felt like hours that night. Everything that filled his head was related to Scorpius. Albus was completely dumbfounded as to why Scorpius wasn't talking to him. Surely actually telling Albus the problem would help? Albus had the feeling that Scorpius would be ignoring him until Lucius Malfoy was released. Albus knew his father and until Lucius Malfoy was actually charged, he would remain in custody. If and when he was charged he would still be in the custody of the Aurors until his trial. It appeared as if he was in for a long haul without talking to Scorpius. Albus also knew how stubborn the blonde haired Malfoy boy could be so Scorpius would not be convinced easily.

He was tired the following morning and he began the morning with Care of Magical Creatures. The downpour outside had taken Hagrid by surprise but he still managed to get to the castle and meet all the students telling them that they would be having their class inside. The History of Magic classroom was free and that was the one that Hagrid choose. Hagrid picked up a duster began to clean the blackboard. Years upon years of layers of notes were being wiped off and the classroom was filled with the dust of the white chalk. The students began spluttering and coughing and Hagrid ordered them into the hallway until the classroom was cleared. The half giant professor opened the window and with the aid of his pink umbrella managed to drive the chalk dust towards the window and eventually out of it. "Okay," he called in his booming voice, "come back in." It was a strange sight to see all the chalk removed from the board and Albus watched as Hagrid began to draw.

The chalk outline of a unicorn was now on the board and Hagrid began to draw more of the details. The class, safe to say, was very impressed by the subtle drawing of the big man. The class passed with the class labelling the various parts of the unicorn. Hagrid really did know his stuff when it came to magical creatures and unicorns were no exception.

A double period of History of Magic followed and Albus caught up on his missed sleep from the previous night. He wondered why History of Magic was a compulsory subject; everybody hated it.

It was lunch time that day that Albus saw Tuesday's Daily Prophet. He groaned when he read the headline.

_Malfoy charged_

_Convicted Death Eater Lucius Malfoy has been formally charged by the Auror office. Spokesman for the office confirmed the charges exclusively to the Prophet reporters when questioned on his way out of the Ministry of Magic building last evening._

_"We have formally charged Mr Lucius Malfoy today. There are a number of charges against him and he will be detained until a court date is decided. The charges against Mr Malfoy are as follows: treason; conspiracy to commit murder; conspiracy to kidnap; murder or manslaughter; assisting in either murder or manslaughter; kidnapping; torture; the use of Unforgivable Curses and trespassing. A court date for Mr Malfoy has yet to be finalised. He has not responded to these charges"._

_At the time of print, Mr Malfoy had still to respond to the charges. According to our sources Mr Malfoy, who is still being detained at an undisclosed Auror location, is awaiting the arrival of legal representation. The Daily Prophet will continue to bring updates on this news as soon as we get it._

Albus had a feeling that once Scorpius read this, their friendship would drift further apart. He was right. The week passed and Scorpius didn't once talk to Albus or even make eye contact with him. They shared classes in all but one subject and Scorpius picked the seat as far away from Albus as possible. While Albus felt sorry for himself, Luke was the worst affected. Luke didn't want to talk to Albus in case he annoyed Scorpius and he didn't want to talk to Scorpius in case he annoyed Albus. He could see that the Irish boy was torn between his two friends and spent a lot of time with Ashley and Emily. Emily was the only one who talked to Scorpius and Luke on the odd occasion. Scorpius wouldn't talk to either Albus or Ashley.

Scorpius, Albus saw, spent a lot of time with Rose while Albus spent time with either James or Tony Manareno. "I told you he was a prat" James said one day after classes had finished. The pair had met in the library as they had done more often than not. Albus was alone in the common room so he took to going to the library to do his homework and meeting James there had become customary over the previous few days.

"No he's not" Albus told his brother. "He's just angry and I suppose he fair reason to be."

"But what if his grandfather is guilty?" James asked. "And from the charges in the paper, he's definitely guilty of one or two of them. Scorpius knows that. He kidnapped you and him. He's being a Malfoy; he's being a _Slytherin._" James said. Albus didn't want to listen anymore of James berating his friend, even if the pair were on the wrong foot at the moment. He got up, picked up his stuff and left the library. Albus returned to the Slytherin common room joining Luke at a table, dropping his Defence Against the Dark Arts book onto it.

"Tell Scorpius that I need to talk to him. Please!" Albus said to him.

"I'll try but he doesn't even want to hear the name of any Potter" Luke replied.

"But he's spending most of his time studying with my cousin" Albus told Luke in disbelief. He didn't want to talk to Albus but he would talk to his cousin; a family member that didn't bear the Potter name.

Quidditch was difficult. Scorpius wouldn't speak to either Albus or Ashley and it was much to the disgruntlement of the rest of the team. Tony, of course, didn't say anything on the issue but Tim Clarke had the voice to speak up.

"Look," he said, "Amy, Tony, Vince and I have been talking. You three need to get everything together. We have the first game of the season in a couple weeks, maybe a bit more and our captain and our chaser are not speaking with our keeper. That's a load of crap. I said I'd play this year because I know we can win another Quidditch Cup. That's not going to happen if you," he pointed at Scorpius as they sat in the changing rooms, "and you two," he pointed at Albus and then Ashley, "can't get along. So either make up or find a way to overcome the problem when we get out on the pitch on the third of October" Tim said, voice raised and face strained and pacing the room. "Either get all this together the lot of ye or I'm gone" Tim stormed out of the dressing room. Albus knew there was a problem and the divide in the team was clear.

The only positive was that Albus had developed a bond with the baby of the team, second year Tony Manareno. His slight frame and baby face was deceptive. He was fierce, strong and aggressive. Albus had developed a plan that he was unwilling to let anyone know; not even the people it involved.

Wednesday morning brought an altercation between Albus and Luke and Conor Kavanagh and Alex Noone. The Gryffindor boys met their Slytherin counterparts in the hallway. The pounding rain meant that Herbology was to take place inside the castle and so they made their way to the fourth floor classroom that the Headmaster had designated for them during a breakfast time announcement. The Gryffindors were making the way back down from their common room. "The Slytherin girls mustn't be very nice" Alex Noone said.

"Yeah, Malfoy is spending so much time with Rose Weasley. Well, you know Alex that us Gryffindors are way nicer anyway" Kavanagh added. Albus lost it. He wasn't going to let them two talk about his friends like that. Although he liked Rose and she was his cousin, Ashley and Emily particularly were his friends and he felt that since they weren't there to defend themselves he might as well do it. Albus decided to forego words and wands. He pulled Kavangh's shoulder and spun the boy round. As Kavanagh spun back towards Albus, the Slytherin's fist was also in motion. It made solid contact with Conor Kavanagh's chin. His head snapped backwards and he collapsed into a heap on the stone floor.

"Oi!" Noone shouted and made for Albus, wand out and firing the Rictumsempra spell at him. Luke stepped out in front of Albus and took the bolt of light into the chest. Albus turned and quickly drew his wand. The pair faced off but no more spells were fired. Albus, wand still pointed at Noone and eyes firmly fixed on the boy opposite him, bent down and shook Luke.

"You okay mate?" Albus asked him, focus still fixed on Alex Noone. Noone was doing likewise as Kavanagh was lying on his side, unmoving. "Come on" Albus said, giving Luke a hand to get up and supporting him as they walked down the corridor and around the corner. Albus told Luke to sit down for a few minutes and rest against the wall, he was unstable. Luke sat down and rested his back on the wall. "Thanks for that. Are you okay?" Albus asked him once more.

"Yeah yeah. I'm fine" Luke said, pulling himself up once more. "Great punch by the way. I think you knocked him out" Albus laughed.

"Yeah, probably." Albus laughed. "He didn't look good. Anyway, come on. We have to get to class." Luke was no longer supporting himself against the wall and the pair walked the rest of the way to the classroom, arriving just seconds before Professor Longbottom.

"Albus" Neville said outside the door of the classroom.

"What is it professor?" Albus asked.

"The Headmaster told me to send you to his office. I don't know what you did before you ask, I'm merely the messenger" Professor Longbottom replied. Albus sighed, turned away from the door to the classroom. Albus trudged towards the headmaster's office. He surely couldn't have found out about Albus' clash with the Gryffindor's already? Albus stood in front of the stone gargoyle with no clue to what the password was.

"Name please" the gargoyle asked.

"Albus Severus Potter" Albus replied, nervous and unsure as to why he gave his full name. The gargoyle jumped aside.

"Enter" it told to him. Albus walked forward with trepidation and stepped onto the steps and walked upwards. He knocked on the doors to the office and the Headmaster's voice replied.

"Enter" he said. Albus pushed open the door and walked in. Professor Wincanton nodded to the seat on the opposite side of the desk. Albus sat into the chair and looked across at the Headmaster. "You had an eventful morning, Mr Potter." Albus opened his mouth to reply but the headmaster raised a hand to stop Albus. "Don't lie. I know exactly what done. You punched Mr Conor Kavanagh. Did you not?"

"I did sir" Albus replied, dropping his head. He knew detention was on the way.

"Are you aware that your punch knocked Mr Kavangh unconscious?"

"No sir. I had a feeling because I hit him pretty hard and he wasn't really moving but I didn't know for sure" Albus said truthfully. The headmaster, Albus thought, was speaking sincerely and with a sense of pity toward Albus.

"Was there provocation?" Professor Wincanton asked.

"Kind of sir" Albus said. "He was insulting the Slytherin girls" Albus told the Headmaster. The man's voice was in a talking tone but it was still deep and boomed around the circular office.

"You have given me little choice in any matter," the Headmaster said, "even with provocation what you done was unacceptable. Detention" he said swiftly. "Saturday night with himself. Eight o'clock and I will meet you at the doors to the Great Hall. Is that clear?" he asked Albus.

"Yes sir" Albus replied. "Saturday at eight, Great Hall doors." Albus hung his head in the seat.

"Don't think that Mr Noone will get away with his jinx on your friend" Professor Wincanton said. Albus looked up at him. "I know everything that happens inside these walls… it is my job after all" the Headmaster said to Albus. "Go to class, I'm sure Professor Longbottom is waiting for you to return to class"

Albus picked up his bag, threw it onto his shoulders and exited from the office that had changed very little since Professor Wincaton took over the post as headmaster from Professor McGonagall. Albus didn't really want to go to Herbology but he continued to walk in the direction of the classroom. He didn't know what time it was but he was definitely going to take his time getting to the classroom.

* * *

Albus, thankfully, had an eventful few days until Saturday evening's detention. He ate dinner and then made his way out to the doors of the Great Hall and stood there, waiting. It was still ten minutes to eight so he felt he could be waiting another while yet. It was then that Professor Kelly came out and called him. "Albus come on" he said.

"I can't sir. I have detention with Professor Wincanton at eight" Albus replied.

"I'm taking the detention." Professor Kelly said. "The Headmaster talked to me and told me that any further infringements, as he put it, would result in much more severe detentions. Understand?"

"Yes sir" Albus replied. The potions master beckoned Albus to follow and he led him out of the castle and down towards the greenhouses. Rain poured down as Professor Kelly led Albus around the side of the greenhouse, past Hagrid's cabin and towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"We're going to be looking for a few plants that I need for the potions' classes. Here's the list" Professor Kelly said, handing Albus a scrap of paper. Albus looked over it. He recognised the names of all the plants and knew what they looked like. They trekked into the forest and Albus stayed close to the Head of Slytherin house. As they trudged through the trees which were growing ever denser, Albus began to tire. They came out into a clearing.

"Hands up!" a voice yelled from the far edge of the clearing. The person had a wand lit and pointed straight at Professor Kelly and Albus. Professor Kelly remained calm. He put his hands in the air.

"I am Professor Paul Kelly, Hogwarts' Potions Master. Accompanying me is Albus Potter, son of Head Auror Harry Potter. We are looking for plants that can be used as ingredients in potions." He said calmly. He continued to walk forward, towards the centre of the clearing. The lit wand also moved forward. The light fell after a few seconds. Albus recognised the man at the other end; he was an Auror but Albus didn't know his name. It was the first time that he had seen any of the Aurors and Albus now knew that they were stationed at the school's boundary.

As the pair began their return to the castle, Professor Kelly once again began to delve into Albus' life outside the classroom. "How are things with Mr Malfoy?" he asked.

"Not great. He's still not talking to me or Ashley"

"And how is that affecting the Quidditch?" Professor Kelly asked. Albus smiled. He loved how Professor Kelly also brought things back to Quidditch; it was all that mattered to the professor outside of the classroom.

"We're working around it" Albus told him.

"How is young Tony getting on? Ihear he's a great talent"

"Yeah, he's very good. Best reader of the game I've seen, especially at that age. And his speed is ludicrous" Albus told the professor as they exited the forest.

"Have you a plan to put that to use?" he asked once more.

"I do sir. But it's a secret right now" Albus said coyly.

"The team better not be divided on the pitch" Professor Kelly said as he entered into his office.

"The divide will be irrelevant by time our first game starts" Albus replied. Albus continued to wonder why the Aurors had been requested. It seemed pointless. Did the Headmaster want to stop people getting _in _or getting _out?_


End file.
